


Be Brave.

by SS98



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: ABO, Alpha Harry, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bonding, Bottom Louis, Dominant Harry, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Infidelity, Innocent Louis, Jealous Harry, Jealous Louis, Knotting, Light Angst, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Omega Louis, Possessive Behaviour, Possessive Harry, Protective Harry, Rutting, Sad Louis, Self-Lubrication, Smut, Submissive Louis, Top Harry, soulmate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-16
Updated: 2017-05-16
Packaged: 2018-11-01 11:56:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10921335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SS98/pseuds/SS98
Summary: Louis saw Harry coming and stood from his perch on the balcony to flee. It was his instinct at the sight of the Alpha in his total brooding, gruesome shade of unyielding dominance. Harry learned to hate before anything other emotion became a prospect to him and meeting Louis seemed to worsen the disadvantage of his lacking knowledge.The growl that follows Louis down the hallway is frightening to have echo around him, and the heavy footing that follows only motivates the Omega to push on faster than the muscles in his legs can manage. He rounds a corner and narrowly avoids falling to the ground by gripping the descending staircase railing ahead of him, jogging with practiced stealth down the eighteen steps. Harry is closer now and Louis hears a scared whimper tumble from his own lips at the next door.





	Be Brave.

Louis saw Harry coming and stood from his perch on the balcony to flee. It was his instinct at the sight of the Alpha in his total brooding, gruesome shade of unyielding dominance. Harry learned to hate before anything other emotion became a prospect to him and meeting Louis seemed to worsen the disadvantage of his lacking knowledge.

The growl that follows Louis down the hallway is frightening to have echo around him, and the heavy footing that follows only motivates the Omega to push on faster than the muscles in his legs can manage. He rounds a corner and narrowly avoids falling to the ground by gripping the descending staircase railing ahead of him, jogging with practiced stealth down the eighteen steps. Harry is closer now and Louis hears a scared whimper tumble from his own lips at the next door.

Adrenaline gets him on the other side of the double barrier but Harry has superior strength and simply forces his way through them with a deafening crack of the wood slamming the wall. Louis reaches the end of the corridor and turns right towards the gardens but this chase is over, and Harry has him by his arm. He’s turned around and flattened in a harmless toss against the wall, the Alpha crowding him in instantly.

Louis’ eyes are closed and he hadn’t noticed until Harry stepped into his space, blocking out the light that turned his eyelids orange. He whined pitifully at the snarl pressed to his throat against his throbbing jugular, fisting the front of Harry’s shirt to push meekly at the broad torso at his eye-level.

“Turn around.” The Alpha spoke heatedly in Louis’ ear, kneading mercilessly the plump form of the unsettled submissive’s behind.

Brilliant baby blues shot into sight, panicked and wild. “Harry, please no.”

Harry found the familiar marred flesh on Louis’ neck and kissed the mark. This is his Omega, his lover for an eternity, and he is allowed to do anything he pleased. “It’s your mouth or this lovely derriere of yours. _Choose_.”

Louis gripped Harry’s wrists to stop the Alpha from deciding for him, finding those piercing green orbs that are trained on him. “We can’t do this. Not anymore.”

Harry’s jaw tightened and he picked Louis up off the ground, pressing him to the wall so his Omega mewled at the ache of being dominated. He sunk his teeth into the same mark from earlier, the home of his wolf. “Have you got yourself another mate?”

“No.” Louis whined and pushed at Harry’s shoulders relentlessly, turning away from the Alpha’s lips. “I don’t want to do this, Harry. I’m serious.”

“I was honest when I said it’s your mouth or this.” Harry slipped his palm over Louis’ behind, squeezing once firmly. His gaze was scalding and possessive. “Talk then, Omega. Why are you resisting me?”

Louis sighed in temporary relief – he knows Harry and patience is something left to the Alpha’s imagination – as he slips his arms around the man’s shoulders. Whatever danger Harry presented at the times when his wolf ruled his actions, Louis always seemed to feel safest with him. “Liam told me your father is gathering the pack for your decision tonight.”

Harry is the son of their pack’s leader, a man with morals over money and led one of the greatest packs into the word of legend. The Alpha hopes to make his father proud by resuming that powerful post and accomplishing almost as much with a modern outlook. However, it comes with a price that Louis thought would not be against him. Harry must mate to be the pack’s Alpha and it ought to be an Omega previously untouched, atop the fact that Harry made it clear two years ago their amorous late night activities were nothing he thought of outside those moments. Louis was once scared of Harry when the Alpha cornered him as a lonely orphan Omega in their midst, feeling obligated to please the leader’s son by obedience.

It changed when Harry later had forsaken those others who sought to tumble into bed with him for his bed to be solely Louis’ if not just him. The Omega would sleep in Harry’s cabin when he needed or merely had a sense of confounded longing close to his heats, which the Alpha never objected to. Never did Louis think he’d Bond with Harry until the Alpha’s rut ruined his mind and he executed a poor mating mark at Louis’ vein. He woke afterwards to find Louis had left with a bleeding neck, terrified and now Bonded.

Harry’s father got to Louis before he did, and ordered their pack doctor to fail the mating. Louis was hidden from Harry for less than hour – long enough for the Omega to commence the excruciating the process of rejecting a Bond – before the Alpha rescued him. He’d fought with his father that day, revealing such a ghastly side of him that Louis was terrified even in his pain. Harry gave his father a lengthy scar in trying to keep Louis from him, before taking the Omega back to his cabin.

The only punishment he received was the tradition of mating who the current pack leader chooses and up until Harry’s outburst, it might have been Louis. Harry slept beside Louis while the Omega remained unconscious in his nightmarish healing. He licked the slowly mending scar and bathed Louis’ slightly trembling form twice daily. It was his pride and honour until Louis woke up and Harry left with the promise that no matter how excellent the illusion of their closeness was, it would forever be nothing but that.

Louis avoided Harry like the plague while he tended his mending heart and requested permission to leave the pack for a few days. He returned after a month and Harry was no better to him. Any chance he thought to spend speaking to Harry, the Alpha had another submissive leaving his cabin. Louis walked away each time.

Every Omega is required to have a partner for heats or get themselves to the packhouse in time for the leader to ensure that no unwelcome Alpha comes their way. Unfortunately, Louis’ heat did not abide by his documented cycle and arrived when he was at home putting together a sandwich. Harry swears he does not remember the day but his companions assure him that nearly three of their brothers were lost that day in the Alpha’s pursuit of Louis.

The door was locked and Harry coaxed Louis devilishly into letting him in, his own nails scraping bloodily at the wood to endure his desperation. Louis resisted all he could but Harry was impatient and begged shamelessly for this privilege so the Omega allowed him in. He was turned inside out with Harry’s ferocity during that heat and succumbed to each caress like old lovers, keening under his Alpha’s calloused palm because Harry c _ame back to him_. All the other Omegas and Harry returned for Louis only.

He knew it was a lie once more but Louis allowed himself this before his heat ended and he felt shame seep into his bones. Something shocked him when Harry chose to bundle him up, still tied together by his knot, and hold his Omega while he fell asleep. Louis asked for answers but was silenced by the deepest of kisses until he yawned from fatigue, and gave in with cowardice. Harry hasn’t stopped holding him since.

Now, that beast that has so many times before instilled fear in members of their pack resurfaces as Harry straightens up. “I can’t stop him.”

“Yeah.” Louis ran his finger over Harry’s jaw, keeping the sting behind his eyes at bay by the skin of his teeth. “I can’t dishonour your future mate by letting this happen again.”

Harry was undeterred as a cruel flicker of humour crossed his eye. “He will not mind, Omega.”

“He?” Louis can’t think of many male Omegas in their territory but he also barely speaks to anyone. It must be a visiting pack. “What’s he like?”

The Alpha could sense all of Louis’ insecurities and painful anxiety. It thundered down on him like the gravest sin to see such a fair Omega in shame. “He is most beautiful and I have been told that I am lucky to have him.”

“You must be.” Louis pinched the fabric of Harry’s collar when the image became blurry and exhaustion dawned on him cursedly. “Do you um- know his name?”

“Aye.” Harry’s palms slide over Louis’ thighs and savour the hitch in the Omega’s breath when he cups his bottom. “It is like the rest of him, I suppose.”

Louis spoke and it was small, wounded. “What’s that mean?”

“Short and sweet.”

“Oh.”

Harry knew Louis would never be bitter about anything no matter how affected he was by it. His Omega is the kindest of all the members in their pack to complement his beauty, and while Louis was entirely unaware, the pack respected him like loving siblings. He helped when it was needed and obeyed if he was tasked with something, doing it to the finest of his ability because he loved being proud of his accomplishments. All this tore Louis from the only Alpha to have him now; he’d cause himself any amount of anguish to not offend another. He can handle his own burdens because there’s only each minute to survive as it comes, but would never inflict them on someone else.

When Harry leans in to offer comfort, Louis huffs and withdraws. He doesn’t want Harry to notice his sorrow when the Alpha has the excitement of uniting with a mate to look forward to. Harry is stubborn and seeks out the scar as before, growling fiercely and pinning Louis’ wrists above his head to find his home.

“I will be here for the rest of my life.” When Louis mewled in negation, Harry let his wolf roar to subdue the Omega. He ran his hand down the length of Louis’ body, gripping firmly the flesh where Louis shuddered and arched away from him. “Yes, Omega. I will.”

“No.” Louis said, a frown forming on his brow. He wanted Harry around him forever and always; the one who came home to him needed to have this Alpha who’s been the only one to see his body and what resides beneath his skin alongside his stuttering heartbeat. Louis will never ask for it. “Can I leave, Alpha? Please.”

“Fine.” Harry buried his nose in Louis’ mesmerising scent once more, breathing in deep and greedily. He stepped back and let Louis get to his own feet, pulling his hands back no matter how they itched to grab hold again. Harry walked away when it looked like Louis might say something to make him go back on his word to his father.

*    *    *    *    *

Louis had to be here, there were no exceptions. He thus chose a comfortable cushioned chair in the corner of the room and curled up on it so he was nearly invisible at the back of this crowd. He’s had a galloping heart all day since his encounter with Harry and was certain that everyone knew it, and everyone caught the stench of his grief. Louis wanted to hide in his favourite creased shimmery sweater, wrapping his fingers around the sleeve and hugging his knees. Everyone was filing in in obedient silence, glancing at those that were already present to find their spot.

When the pack leader strode it was to be accompanied by Harry soon after. Louis sat up at the sight of the Alpha, trying not to look so keen when he truly was. Harry just seemed to do that for him no matter Louis’ mood prior; he felt like royalty around the dominant.

“You all know why you’re here. The result of tonight may not affect any one of you directly but it influences us all via the fate of this pack.” Harry’s father bellowed, foregoing a greeting like he always did. He chose to be succinct over being polite. “Tonight is the introduction and welcome of my son’s mate, chosen not just for his future but to be present as a pillar of this pack. Harry has asked that I not announce his name, but rather allow him to find the Omega in this crowd. So shall it be.”

Louis lowered his head to focus on the individual hairs on his wrist and the threads of his frayed jeans. He chewed on his lip until the taste of blood reached his tongue and he tried to mask it while the room was plunged into silence, gasping when the floorboards creaked at Harry’s weight stepping off the platform.

People parted when Harry walked with the usual authority that stalked him as he walked and bowed their heads respectfully as he passed them. He did not need guidance even if three hundred pack members were in one room, flooding this confined space in anticipation and thrill. Harry was scanning each face in search of one and when it surfaced, those eyes were not on him.

Louis sensed someone coming into his private bubble along with hundreds of others, all familiar eyes landing on him where he sat in tense agony. He glanced up at what the source of this intrigue was and sat, stunned by Harry walking his way. Louis let him come because the Alpha is some distance from him, and the intended person could be at Louis’ side or in front of him. They were standing nearly shoulder to shoulder in this room with the limited room.

Others started stepping to the side and it was not ending; they continually moved from Harry’s path until less than seven people stood between Louis and the Alpha. He could not take the suspense and had to look up, his eyes shimmering from the sadness in which they swam. It was evident now, for all to see as the moment of his true heartbreak drew nearer.

Harry did not stop, not until he surpassed the last person separating him and Louis. The Omega stood hurriedly but not in reception of the Alpha, and rather to move as well, tearing his gaze from Harry’s heated focus. Green had melted to emerald and the gold flecks but a few knew about were staring out boldly at Louis, mocking his misery. Louis let Harry step into the spot he once occupied, but held his breath when the Alpha stopped moving altogether shortly after.

The moment arrived and knocked the wind out of Louis so abruptly; it felt as though he was floating but only to fall to the ground in a crash that tore him apart. Louis heard nothing above his own racing heart and the intensity of Harry’s eyes on him, refusing this as it happened because it was not possible. He dared to glance over his shoulder while Harry spoke words he could not take heed of, thinking the real person was behind him and allowing himself this budding joy would end in humiliation. Someone made an exasperated sigh at Louis’ behaviour, thinking it juvenile and inappropriate for an auspicious offering of courtship, which only paused Harry’s earnest appeal so he could curl his lip and snarl viciously at their disrespect of his mate.

When he turned back to Louis, the Omega was not there. He’d squeezed through the other pack members and escaped the torturous throbbing in his chest, the strain in his most sacred muscle and the disbelief. Harry was delusional or lying purposely to Louis when he knew the Omega is gullible, always willing to trust. Louis’ always only ever had himself to look after his interests and when Harry’s phase of pity dissipates, it will return to that.

There could not be a more unworthy Omega for Harry. Louis is not a virgin – even if Harry is the reason for that – and has no formal training or knowledge on how to behave as a pack leader’s mate. He is not a pillar of any kind except for those who ask for slight favours.

The packhouse door opening behind him has Louis bounding off the stairs, landing in the snow as his wolf and breaking into a sprint without looking back. Harry follows without an inch of thought, seeing only his desired Omega running away from him. He lets his wolf rip through him with a sneer and took off behind Louis, disappearing through the trees.

He lets Louis run until the river, following the light grey silhouette through numerous tree trunks and over their fallen counterparts. Louis stops at the edge of the stream – he’s always been afraid of water in too great quantities – and turns restlessly in a circle until Harry creeping out of the treeline makes him freeze. He steps back at the sight of the broader wolf, suppressing a whimper at the chill of frigid water soaking into his hind paw.

Harry strolls closer at a leisurely pace, his teeth bared and eyes blackened in the most threatening nature. Louis would never leave the warmth of being tucked in under Harry’s neck when they went on pack hunts, but that space is no longer his.

He simpers, falling into a seated position when Harry comes to loom over him. Louis bows his head and Harry stood above him, his chest ablaze with powerful grumbles. Harry surprised Louis by causing no harm to him, and instead licks a stripe over the Omega’s muzzle. Louis makes a curious sound, tilting his head up and to the side. Harry breathes a frosty exhale and does it again, this time continuing to drag his tongue over Louis’ forehead and down the side of his neck, sitting in front of his Omega to patiently treat him.

It took hours for Louis to feel brave enough to switch back but in the time when he was building up the fearlessness, Harry nudged his wolf into action. They hunted though they did not need to and Harry let Louis eat first while he lounged alongside the Omega cleaning what stains were caused on Louis’ soft coat. He went as far as nipping at Louis’ canine and licking over the pointed tooth, making soft sounds of reassurance to the rattled Omega.

He wants Louis to have him in return; their pack’s most beautiful Omega on the surface and beneath it had to be Harry’s but also be who Harry belongs to. Louis is the only Omega Harry took to his bed more than once, and felt correct in banishing the admirers who he once would have given a chance. This boy is most fascinating and the epitome of humility in all its shades. Harry never thought Louis might _run_ at the word of his proposal and seek refuge in the woods.

Louis inched closer at his own pace and Harry let him work himself up. The Omega laid his head on Harry’s neck and closed his eyes, curling around the dominant’s front where he was all in Harry’s sight for protection. Harry let the night come and cloak them in darkness but they did not move until Louis made the slightest twitch. He was ready to change back.

*    *    *    *    *

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Louis asks quietly from the fireplace in Harry’s living room. He’s been putting distance between them at every opportune moment, so the Alpha resigned to allow him that privacy.

However, Harry was not going to treat the topic of their mating with apathy. He went to Louis when the Omega spoke and stood before him an inch away, staring into slightly panicked blue eyes. “It was in poor judgement, little one. I thought the surprise would please you.”

“I guess it did, a little anyway.” Louis manages a smile, his first for the day and the whole world seems brighter from it. Harry leans down to press a kiss to the submissive’s temple.

“So you’ll have me?” Harry prompts, slipping his arms under Louis’ and around the Omega. He was the perfectly carved missing piece, an attesting fact to a forgotten legend about those whose stories were written long before their lines began.

Louis chewed on his lip in feigned deliberation, his scarce humour making an appearance and causing Harry’s displeased growl. It only coaxes a giggle from his Omega. “I will have you if you’ll have me too.”

Harry frames Louis’ face in his palms and presses uncoordinated kiss on the boy’s visage. Each was to pay praise to his chosen mate’s fascinating nature. “I’ll have you, little Omega, for the rest of my life and many years after that.”

“Can I make one request first?” Louis does not hesitate to reach up and encircle Harry’s neck with his arms, pulling the Alpha down to his level. “No more surprises, please.”

In this moment with the fire’s glow falling on Louis in an illusion that lit him from within and added a faint star to his dilated pupils, Harry sees himself agreeing to anything. He picks his Omega up and wraps those lovely thighs around him with little encouragement, setting his hands on Louis’ behind. “No more surprises.”

The mating ceremony is a very private affair that calls for the attention of none but the Alpha and Omega intended for one another. Its proceedings are meant to take place aside from the pack before they return to re-join their brethren as a mated couple; it symbolises their courtship being stronger than any other bond. Harry must choose a safe and suitable location away from their home that Louis will agree to mate in, which puts them in nature’s care for seven nights.

The Alpha puts a great deal of thought into where he wants to take Louis. His Omega fears gushing streams so he opts for a location beyond the river, where he can carry Louis through the water to cement his promise of protection. Louis loves time in nature as a human or a wolf so Harry is cautious about the den he chooses for their Bonding, allowing it to be within short distance of a beautiful meadow where gentle critters are bound to be.

Louis stayed with Harry permanently now so that his old house could be designated to newer members of their pack who needed shelter. It took some period of adjustment for the Omega still found himself wandering in the direction of that cottage instead of Harry’s, but he found comfort in knowing that the only place which felt as humble as home was that which his intended mate chose for them.

“What might you be up to under this mess?” Harry returned from his daily tasks, some by his father’s side and others of a private nature, to find Louis hidden beneath a mountain of clothed chaos.

He unveiled his intended mate from the havoc, prying the possessions of his closet off Louis’ curled form on the floor beneath dangling hangers. The Omega looked to be asleep but when Harry crouched beside him, he blinked his sleepy blues and smiled tiredly.

Harry slid his arms under Louis’ frame and lifted him off the unworthy carpet, stepping over the crumpled clothing to lay the Omega on a more comfortable bed. It’s an impossible choice thereafter between lying down beside his mate and immediately going for his shower. “You know, the only ones to nest are pups and Omegas that are pregnant with them.”

Louis rolls onto his back, yawns and stretches so his stiffest muscles get their fair exercise. Before he can speak however, the Omega hears his own purring as a result of Harry delicately stroking his belly beneath his shirt. “I wasn’t nesting.”

“Oh?” Harry smirked, entirely in disbelief. He knew the edges of Louis’ soul better than he could dare to memorise anything else; Louis found comfort in Harry’s scent and has found increasingly noteworthy ways in which to harvest it. “Come on, Omega. Let me get you clean.”

Louis gets a set of towels from the cupboard while Harry achieves the ideal temperature of the water in their clawfoot bathtub. Harry did not admit when he initially purchased it that it was for Louis’ amusement, but he very well knew that’s why. His Omega comes back into the bathroom, a drowsy daydream under lighting that is too harsh for any other person but perfect for this glorious creature.

Neither of them are shy about undressing around the other anymore, nor is the silence during the act awkward. Harry sat on the lip of the tub as nude as can be, burying his face in Louis’ belly when the Omega approaches him. He loves Louis’ skin; it had the softest texture with the faintest reminders of baby hairs across his torso and belly. Harry wraps his arms around Louis’ middle and breathes in deeply to relish in his mate’s scent.

“What did you do besides form a tent from my clothing, Omega?” Harry tilted his back and Louis leans in to give his Alpha a pleasantly casual kiss.

“I was at the daycare all morning, then I went to help with the lunch preparation at the packhouse.” Louis replies, his palms resting on Harry’s shoulders as the Alpha turns off the tap and stands. He means to step back but Harry grabs his hips and hoists him into his arms before stepping into the water.

Louis sits astride Harry’s lap with their lower halves submerged in the transparent rippling water, his hands limply on his mate’s torso while his tan grows flushed with the heat. He still blushes at the intensity of Harry’s stare that seems mercilessly fixated on him at odd moments during their time alone. Harry welcomes the submissive against his chest when the latter leans into him, his face buried in the Alpha’s neck to blanket himself in the most reassuring scent.

“I found the ideal den for you, little one.” Harry placed his hand between Louis’ shoulderblades and watched the water run down the Omega’s arched spine. He draws miscellaneous shapes for the mere sake of excessive physical contact thereafter.

Louis’ interest piqued. “Really? Where?”

“I’m not going to tell you.” Harry chuckles, lightly squeezing Louis’ bottom to hear a delightful squeal. “You’re too curious for me to risk you finding it ahead of time.”

The Omega pouted again and it almost won Harry over, but he smothered Louis’ petulance with a kiss and stole his focus. Louis immediately melts into the sensual union with a mewl. He winds his arms securely around Harry’s neck and parts his lips before being prompted to do so, responding to a nip to the tip of his tongue with a muffled whimper. Harry’s fingertips dig into Louis’ behind to press the latter male flush against him, using the boy’s distraction to later slip his hands between Louis’ thighs.

Initiation of intimacy has always made Louis shy and want to escape the evasive hands of his Alpha, but Harry treasures the fact that he’s brought his boy out of that shell. Louis’ shudder can be felt against his lips and Harry prevents him backing away with a hand pressed to the Omega’s lower back. He has the slightest nervous manner of scrunching his brow but Louis braves it, setting his forehead against Harry’s with a small smile.

“You are always nervous with me, Omega.” Harry pinched Louis’ chin between his thumb and forefinger.

An uncharacteristic grumble from the submissive when Louis bites the pad of Harry’s thumb. “You never call me anything endearing.”

“My apologies.” Harry raises the boy’s position on his lap by firmly grasping the backs of his thighs, in awe of the giggle that he earns shortly after. “You are only just my entire world, little one.”

Louis’ gentle sapphires flicker to him, a blush colouring his cheeks. He cups water from in his palms from between them and brings it up to let it flow over Harry’s visage. During the Alpha’s momentarily disarming blindness, Louis connects their lips to halt any of the dominant’s movements and smile at the surprise he renders.

Harry takes care of his Omega in the most intimate way he can fathom. In the past, when their relationship was tactfully forbidden, Harry had the thrill of deceit on his side. Now that Louis is his to have forever and afterwards, he cannot identify a sweeter sense of relief. He latches onto the spot on Louis’ throat where he hopes to mark and soothes the sting of his bite with lazy strokes of the Omega’s back and thighs.

His mate does not pull away any more like he used to, but instead clings to Harry for dear life when the dominant’s arousal becomes evident between his thighs. Harry shamelessly kneads Louis’ bottom and smirks at the breathless sound that leaves the latter; delicate and damp lashes flutter as Louis nibbles mindlessly on his bottom lip. He gasps at Harry’s attempt to slip two fingers into his crevice and tease cruelly him.

They haven’t knotted for longer than either would like to admit, because a mated couple’s strength and devotion arose from the frequency of intensity. However, falling back into the wondrous experience is no trial for either of them because if Harry is perfectly expert at anything, it is his ability to render Louis catatonic with pleasure.

*    *    *    *    *

Louis almost wished Harry had respected his wish to cook dinner in peace but the Alpha had convinced him to depart from the kitchen for a cuddle session with him on the couch. He isn’t sure if his mate had a particularly rough day in his father’s company or Harry merely desired Louis to lie on top of him like a contented feline. The Omega had curled up on his mate’s torso, his chronically cold feet tucked in between Harry’s thighs while he played the recipient of random kisses from the dominant.

It was innocent enough for an hour or two when Louis only experienced his Alpha petting his belly with slightly curled fingers and a comforting purr being emitted from the other. There was a television in Harry’s cottage but it’s a fact that the Alpha rarely used anything technologically advanced enough to _hint_ at inducing complacency. Louis was watching an old film weeks ago and Harry felt obliged to join him though he did little more than wait for the Omega to focus on him entirely.

However, it’s been a long while since Harry got home and he found this abysmal neglect of his mate to be tedious. Twenty minutes later and he had foregone Louis’ resistance to slip his hand below and beneath the Omega’s waistline, revelling in the submissive’s nails digging into his biceps and teeth latched onto his collarbone to contain the dire spasming impulses surging up his spine. Harry pressed his lips to the heated skin on Louis’ nape when he felt the first hints of slick, dipping the tip of his finger past the clenching muscle.

When Louis whimpered in a high drawl and arched his back for more but less of the torturous pleasure, Harry flattened his free palm at the base of Louis’ spine and thrust a single digit into the Omega. Louis almost managed to close his legs before Harry hooked the Omega’s thighs over his own and pinned them at an obscenely exposed angle. He smirked at the boy’s mewl and laid a trail of kisses from Louis’ shoulder to below his ear, adding a second finger to the first.

Slow and leisure pumps of his hand gets Louis restless and squirmy between the cage of his arms, but the Alpha is not to be deterred. His chest erupts in a growl that drowns out other sounds, and Louis involuntarily rolls his hips against Harry’s for some instant relief.

“There’s my boy.” Harry lowered his free hand to tug on Louis’ shorts until they give way to rest midway on the boy’s thighs. He crooked his fingers and relished in Louis’ endless shudders from the added stretch, planting a firm smack to the Omega’s derriere when the latter fusses against him. “ _Nah uh_. I’m not quite done with you yet, my sweet Omega.”

Louis mumbled incoherently into Harry’s neck, mindlessly raising and lowering his hips against his mate’s fingers. He’s long since forgotten about the mess he’s creating between them with the flow of his slick that’s dampening his inner thighs and Harry’s harsh thrusting prompting it onto his lap. The hard press of his Alpha’s erection against his lower belly has Louis scrambling for it with desperate hands. He takes for his own what Harry doesn’t have to offer.

“Omega.” Harry caught Louis’ lips in a sloppy kiss, growling possessively when the Omega’s grabbed him with the perfect lack of gentility. He was torn between continuing his explicit ministrations or mercifully bringing his boy onto his lap more irreversibly. “I’ve got you, darling.”

When Harry extracted his fingers he immediately brought them to his lips and tasted his mate. He smirked when Louis kissed him when he’d barely removed his fingers, and first brought his Omega impossibly closer for an inescapable embrace. Holding his mate gave Harry a great sense of pride and peace to his inner wolf so he made sure to do so at any opportune moment.

“There is no hurry, little Omega. Neither of us will be parting from the other soon.” Harry caught Louis’ hips securely and did not regret the inevitable bruises forming beneath his fingertips. He nipped at Louis’ jugular and buried his face in the Omega’s shoulder junction before connecting their bodies under his sole command.

Louis released a shaky exhale, his eyes slipping shut and fingers curling into fists. He wrapped his arms around his Alpha for anchoring the crazed sensations entering him with Harry’s throbbing girth. “Wait, _wait._ ”

“I know, darling.” Harry chuckled at the pleas when he’d bottomed out. Louis never favoured impatience in their intimacy; he revelled in the act of stalling when Harry first takes him before resigning his control.

Louis never feels the need to rush the pace at which his body adjusts. He is a marvellous creature perched on the Alpha’s lap, his hair dishevelled and lips bitten raw. Harry leans forward to press his parted lips on planes of his Omega’s sweet skin, grasping the boy’s thighs as they straddle him and scenting his mate as vigorously as he can. He loves having Louis above him this way like the fairest God-like presence enjoying his throne.

“Are you ready, darling?” Harry did not want to ask but he is a weak man around his mate, and having the boy wrapped deliciously around him with merciless clenching muscles is of no help to his stamina.

Nodding vehemently, Louis threads his fingers into Harry’s hair and cries out at the Alpha’s first thrust. As tender as the initial motions felt in him, the fierce pleasure they spark in his rattling bones cannot be resented. Harry loves how loud and unafraid Louis is under his domination, greedy for the relief and resounding climax only the Alpha can render in him. Words are whispered in Louis’ ear, sweet and explicit alike, that make the Omega feel simultaneously helpless and protected by the guttural edge of Harry’s tone.

Harry’s knot expands after their skin has turned clammy and flushed with strain; he has to pin Louis against him at the first hint of a pained whine. The Omega feels as if his body tightens around Harry’s knot to restrict them both and trigger shocking stings at any movement that could separate them. He takes several minutes to level his breathing and heartbeat, an incomprehensible sequence of whimpers and sharp inhales falling from his lips when Harry comforts him with kisses and drags of his tongues on odd points of his upper body.

“Have I hurt you?” Harry caresses the curve of Louis’ spine with his knuckles. He laughs gruffly when the boy resting on him frowns and bats the Alpha’s hand away from his face.

Louis shakes his head lazily and keeps his eyes closed, already half asleep. He huffed petulantly at a fresh release from his Alpha’s knot but did not fidget further.

Harry pulled a quilt off the back of their couch and draped it over Louis’ dozing form, unable to withhold his pride at the grateful smile he earns from his Omega. “Sleep, darling. I’ve got you.”

*    *    *    *    *

Louis has not been interrupted from cooking breakfast and he is glad; the main reason is because he woke an hour before Harry with the intention of falling asleep after the Alpha leaves for the day. He occasionally glances out the window – the only one he’s bothered to open this morning – at the promising weather beyond. Snow won’t be falling for many weeks until the decease of summer and Louis plans to enjoy these delightfully warm and blossoming conditions with as much vigour as he can.

There’s a meadow within their territory but at the very edge that the pups love more than any other venue of detention. Louis remembers being as young and free-spirited without the threat of adult responsibility with nostalgia that is bitter-sweet. He does not wish ungratefully to return to those times, for being of this age has certain privileges in the pack and his own home that a pup will hardly be given.

Harry senses Louis’ absence moments after the Omega left him, and goes on a restless mission to find his mate. Dull panic seems to be a permanent facet of his emotions ever since he met Louis and his wolf chose the Omega to be its mate. Louis is out of Harry’s sight for a minute when he isn’t supposed to be, and the Alpha feels the crushing talons of dread creep up on him. An Alpha fears being unknowing around their submissive so that it might cause the tragedy of agonising loss.

Some say that trait is inbred in dominant specimens from centuries ago when wolves were surfacing around the world in two forms, and like all new arrivals they were treated as beasts by mortals. Humans would capture the isolated submissive members of wolf packs and in their ignorant fear of change, threaten to kill them if they did not surrender whatever witchcraft made them wolf and man.

Thousands of Omegas were killed before the wolves developed a certain hierarchy within them and the first Bonded wolves emerged in growing numbers. Pairing a submissive to an Alpha gave them protection and a home with the tie of the oldest magic, initially for that sole purpose but later evolved into one of the modern world’s most powerful bonds.

Harry finds his Omega now humming to himself at their stove. He’s dressed in nothing but a prudent T-shirt that falls off one shoulder and a pair of thick wool socks. Louis is concentrating on the omelette in a pan and the pot of brewing coffee on the adjacent stove plate, oblivious to Harry entering the kitchen.

“Never again.” Harry went up to his Omega and embraced him from behind, aligning their bodies in a back-to-chest manner. “Why would you leave my bed so early?”

Louis muffled his yawn and reached back to clasp Harry’s neck. “Wanted to make breakfast.”

Harry ends up helping Louis finish up the food by taking over the coffee and toast preparation. Louis serves portions of the scrambled eggs on two plates and lets Harry add the fried bread before sliding them across the kitchen island. Any meal that wasn’t communal was taken in the living room rather than kitchen but a resounding knock on the cabin door promises a new direction of events.

Their terribly early visitor is Liam, Harry’s close friend and Beta for when he resumes the position of pack leader. He strips off his coat and boots at the door before greeting Louis as well with a little bow of his head; certain customs were to observed by pack brethren when in the company of the leading mated pair that Louis has yet to learn in entirety.

An Omega of the pack can be kissed on the cheek by a fellow pack member but Louis, as Harry’s mate, must not be touched to excess without dire reason. When the new pack leader selects a mate and their Bonding is complete, no other pair is allowed to conceive pups until the leading Omega has. Louis worries about all the new specifications for him and whether or not he has a worthy memory to retain them; being mated in power is much unlike being mated aside from it.

“You never enter my home without an emergency, Liam. What is it you need?” Harry’s arms are crossed and his brows are set in a disconcerting furrow. This is the place of his nest and he does not appreciate intruders, friend or otherwise.

The second-in-command apologetically nods. “Your father is asking for you. It’s a matter of…urgency, he says.”

Harry glances at Louis out of the corner of his eye and the Omega is visibly uncomfortable – a reality that sets Harry’s teeth on edge. “I think I’ll decide what is of urgency, Liam. I am entitled to not leave my home today by the man himself.”

“Rogues nearly broke our territory line this morning.” Liam deadpans, lowering his gaze to the ground shortly after. “Their heads were brought to your father an hour ago by your brother.”

Even Louis felt unease at the mention of Harry’s sibling. Edward is older, unkinder and sparing a few days each year to return to this pack so he may meet the obligation of seeing his family. Louis saw Edward from a distance eleven months ago when the Alpha was leaving from his terribly short visit in the midst of an argument with Harry himself.

Edward’s a vicious creature when he’s in a fury and Louis remembers the swing he took at Harry when his brother got too close to changing his mind. Harry ducked, of course, and threw his own punch that led to a swift transformation into wolves and a brawl that shamed their father. The pack leader came out and tore them apart well after blood had stained the snow and Harry’s wolf housed a lengthy scar that mirrored Edward’s.

“My brother returns at moments I wish he would stay across the sea most.” Harry mutters aggravatedly. “Tell my father I will be there soon.”

*    *    *    *    *

Edward’s been going on at his brother and receiving vigorous argument in return from Harry, for a solid hour now while their father stood stoically against his desk. Louis had to be here and he would not call it a burden but being in a chair while his mate and Edward fought one another with poisonous words that made them look like bickering teenagers.

“All your pointless fucking grooming for pack Alpha and bastard rogues almost penetrated our territory boundary.” Edward grits, looming menacingly by the fireplace.

Harry growled, evidently offended. “The rogues had not gotten across the fence. Our wolves would have handled it without your arrogant intervention.”

Edward shoved off the mantelpiece so abruptly that the structure shuddered. “The priorities in this pack has shifted. We have become weak. You both have allowed our family name to become a _fucking joke_.”

“Your absence has stripped you of any right to judge how we run our pack, Edward.” Harry seethed. “We are stronger and larger in number but so are the rogue wolves. Any pack in these lands is dealing with the same threat.”

“We shouldn’t have to worry about menial threats, brother.” Edward spat, causing Louis’ heart to stagnate when the rounds the Omega’s chair. His eyes were venomous, his fists clenched.

“Son.” Their father steps up and adds an unconventional calm that comes only with an experienced livelihood. Edward turned up his scowl at a hand on his shoulder, backing away from the touch. “We do not want so much fear behind our name that allies will not approach us either.”

Louis keeps his focus on the frayed threads of his jeans while the Alphas in the room argue about matters that are imaginary or entirely not plausible. He listens only because he might earn the chance to leave sooner than he anticipates and appreciates being otherwise ignored so he might isolate himself from the horrific connotations of a brewing fatality. Edward wanted their pack to have other wolves on their knees asking for aid while Harry refused such a barbaric tactic. Their father allowed them to go back and forth as the younger generation who will lead his wolves once he retires, and does not interrupt again.

When multiple hours have been wasted in the pack leader’s study, Harry declares that the rest of Edward’s stay will be maintained without his company. The older sibling glares at him for the insolence but does nothing in response besides raising his chin in regal stubbornness. He does however, grant Louis his first bout of unyielding attention when Harry leaves him for the Omega.

Louis looks up at his mate and stands without being asked, breaking the strenuous eye contact with Edward. Unlike his Alpha, the other dominant made Louis’ skin crawl with his unsettling molten gaze. Harry ushers Louis out of the study ahead of him to keep himself as a barrier between the Omega and the Alphas at his back, his thunderous heartbeat rabbiting against Louis’ shoulderblade as they exited the packhouse.

“Are you okay?” Louis asked when they were a safe distance away, slipping his hand into Harry’s.

The Alpha grunts. “Fine.”

Louis knows better than to press a subject at a moment such as this; he does not want to forfeit the slight endearment that is Harry holding his hand while they return to the cabin. He takes off his coat and shoes at the door before strolling into the kitchen for a cup of tea, mindful of Harry releasing his arm only at the very end. With the kettle on the stove and a herbal tea leaves in a strainer, Louis has nothing to do except mull in the tense silence of their home.

“You remember Edward, don’t you? From that night.” Harry speaks the words Louis hoped to never have trigger this particular memory.

He does not turn around but he fully indulges in the scathing intent stare of his Alpha on his back. “Yes.”

Eleven months ago a fight so severe broke out between Edward and Harry that the scars they both carried would not have been the true result if they weren’t stopped. It was a sour time in their relationship and Harry hadn’t spoken to Louis in many days, but a single enquiry from Edward made him delve into a vile spat with the other Alpha. Harry had been neglecting Louis for the sake of his own poor prize of pride and the word of his father, when Edward dared to ask if he might acquire the honour instead.

Louis knows why they made each other bleed that night because Edward was the one to tell him an hour before he left again.

 _“You are my brother’s weakness, Omega. He may have broken your heart but the bastard plans on tearing apart anyone who shows an interest in you. Don’t make me regret leaving our assault  unfinished.”_ Louis was confused by this Alpha’s demeanour and words. He told Edward that Harry had no intention of mating him, to which the Alpha laughed hauntingly. _“I thought so too.”_

**Author's Note:**

> I had to stop myself to keep from going beyond 14 pages o.O I have so many unfinished stories in my WIP folder, it's criminal. Props to Michael McIntyre's DVD's for keeping me entertained during my study break. 
> 
> My Instagram: @sumans98


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